Image:
Monaural stethoscopes

Notes

Wood, detachable stem for portability

Plastic, detachable pieces

Imitation ivory, metal and Bakelite

Monaural stethoscopes (having only one earpiece), were used from 1819 and, by the 1850s, they were the mainstay of the physical examination. The monaural model did become increasingly obsolete by the 1860s with the invention of binaural stethoscope (having two earpieces) in 1852. However, they were still used by many doctors into the late 19th and early 20th centuries.